, and he was seized by the
coils of a loose rope, lashing furiously, while the remaining part of
the spar came whirling round his head. His terrific position could be
seen from the deck, and the great danger any one would incur in going
near him could be equally well perceived. Not a moment, however, did
young Elton hesitate. Scarcely had the accident happened than he was
flying up the ratlines amid the clouds of spray which drove across them.
The ship was heeling over and pitching into the seas as if never to
rise again, the masts were bending and straining, and the broken spar
was flying round, now in one direction, now in the other, and
threatening to render the brave young Elton's attempt useless, by
hurling Charley Blount to destruction before he could release him, while
the least want of vigilance would have proved equally fatal to himself.
He had, amid the darkness of the night and the heeling of the ship to
watch the movements of the threatening spar, and to dart forward as it
receded and left a spot for an instant free from its attacks. His first
aim was to release Charley, whom the rope was encircling every instant
more closely in its deadly embrace. He watched his opportunity; he
sprang along the yard, and with two blows of his axe the rope was
severed, and Charley was released, and able to join him in the still
more difficult task of clearing away the broken spar. Together they
climbed the mast. "Stand from under!" was the cry, but there was no
need of it. Again their sharp axes were at work; the spar fell clear of
the ship into the foaming ocean, the topmast was saved, and loud cheers
greeted the young seamen as they descended safely on deck.

This incident united Charley Blount and Elton in still closer
friendship, and gained the support more completely of the enthusiastic
Hugh Owen, who became now more than ever eager to follow their fortunes.

At length the ship got to the westward of the Cape, but she had been
driven far to the south, and it was some time before the wind allowed
her to steer a northerly course. She had already got into warm
latitudes, when a high, cocoa-nut-covered, reef-bound island was
discovered ahead. The savage character of the inhabitants of the isles
of the Pacific had frequently been the subject of conversation on board,
among those who had never before been in that part of the world, and it
was naturally supposed that those living on the island in sight were
deservin